AI jobs apocalypse: the growing threat to employment

The prospect of an employment disaster is becoming increasingly worrying.

Have you heard of the “jobs apocalypse” concept? The term describes a concern raised by some observers: AI could trigger mass unemployment through the automation of jobs. Beyond the large-scale redundancies that often attract headlines because of their dramatic nature, there is also the more gradual loss of roles through decisions not to hire.

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AI taking over tasks assigned to junior employees

Last October, The Guardian reported on a study by the British Standards Institution (BSI). In this survey of 850 business leaders across seven countries - the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Australia, China and Japan - 41% said that AI enables them to reduce staff numbers.

Similarly, 31% of executives said their company considers AI options before looking to recruit. Lastly, a quarter of CEOs believe that most, if not all, duties currently given to entry-level employees could be carried out by an AI.

Quoted by our colleagues, BSI chief executive Susan Taylor Martin said: “AI represents a tremendous opportunity for businesses around the world. However, in their pursuit of greater productivity and efficiency, it is essential not to forget that, fundamentally, people are the driving force behind progress.”

The jobs apocalypse and the pressure to adapt

In the United States, this rush towards AI is taking an even more radical form at some companies. Accenture is one example: its CEO, Julie Sweet, told financial analysts that the company would dismiss consultants unable to adapt to new technologies:

“Our number-one priority is upskilling. We are moving, in a very compressed timeframe, to exit people where reskilling (…) is not a viable path for the skills we need.”

60% of today’s jobs did not exist in 1940

To put the widespread alarm surrounding AI into perspective, Google CEO Sundar Pichai can be cited. While he is admittedly not entirely neutral on the matter given his company’s business, he recently pointed out:

“People will be able to do more, which may mean we create new products, and therefore we need more people, at least in the near term.”

He believes that the longer-term outlook is difficult to foresee. He also notes that 60% of today’s jobs did not exist in 1940, according to an MIT study. More information on this subject is available in our previous article here.